Aces' bond paved way to success
Owensboro Catholic’s run to the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament semifinals this year may have come as a surprise to those outside of the program, but the Aces knew they had the work ethic and chemistry to forge a banner campaign.
Catholic finished the season with a 31-8 record following Friday’s 9-7 loss to state runner-up McCracken County, and although the Aces left disappointed by the outcome, the bond they built will always remain.
“We expect to win,” said OCHS head coach Jody Hamilton, whose team has reached the state tournament in two of his three seasons with the Aces. “That’s something that I told them from the very beginning: As hard as we work, we expect to win.
“It wasn’t a one-man thing, it wasn’t a one-coach thing. We all bought in together, and everybody worked as hard as they could.”
As a result, Catholic had one of the best years in program history.
They Aces started the season 2-2 before reeling off four wins in five games at the Panama City Beach Bash. Catholic capitalized on its spring break momentum, capturing victories in nine of its next 10 outings — including its fifth consecutive 3rd Region All “A” Classic championship.
In late April, the Aces edged Walton-Verona 3-2 in nine innings, dispatched Lyon County 7-3 and beat Pikeville 3-1 to win the All “A” Classic state tournament. The victory gave Catholic its second All “A” crown in four seasons.
OCHS went 3-1 to close the regular season, with its only miscue coming in a 7-6, nine-inning loss to eventual state champion Pleasure Ridge Park.
The Aces went on to edge Apollo 7-6 in another nine-inning fair to claim the 9th District Tournament championship, and knocked off Edmonson County (12-0), Breckinridge County (9-4) and Muhlenberg County (3-2) in the 3rd Region Tournament.
Catholic then beat Corbin 5-4 in extra innings — the Aces played in four nine-inning games over the final month and a half of the year — in the first round of the state tournament’s opening round and edged Hopkinsville 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Coming out on top in so many tightly-contested games, Hamilton said, came down to his squad’s trust and belief in one another.
“It’s just the unity,” he said. “We’re really, really close, and they’re all friends. They enjoy each other.”
Catholic reached the state semifinals for the first time since winning it all in 1985.
The Aces are set to lose five seniors to graduation, but they’re already looking forward to making another postseason run in 2025.
“Hopefully, we just come back next year,” Hamilton said. “They’re great kids and great people, above all, and great leaders. We’re going to have to come back next year and find some new guys.”
